Camel Hump Trotter Stew

Camel Hump Trotter Stew

　　　Camel Hump Trotter Stew: The hump trotters, pre-boiled until tender, are sliced into pieces about two-fen thick. Between each slice of trotter, a piece of bamboo shoot is inserted. The slices are then neatly arranged and placed in a bowl. Chicken is briefly blanched in boiling water and laid on top of the trotters. The chicken is then covered with scallion segments, ginger slices, star anise, and garlic cloves. Chicken broth is added, and the bowl is steamed for one hour. After steaming, the broth is strained, and the seasonings and chicken are removed. The trotters are then flipped out onto a plate. Separately, chicken broth is seasoned with salt, soy sauce, MSG, cilantro, and shredded magnolia shoots, then thickened with a cornstarch slurry. This sauce is poured over the trotters, and a drizzle of sesame oil is added. The dish is characterized by its tender and soft trotters, a rich reddish hue, glossy and bright appearance, and a mellow, savory taste. The camel hump trotters can also be prepared as a whole dish—Whole Camel Hump Trotter—which uses the skinless camel hoof. It is processed similarly to bear paw and slow-cooked over low heat.

　　 Preparation: The camel hump trotters and hoof tips are cleaned and briefly blanched in boiling water, then rinsed. The hoof tips are cooked in a pot with fresh ginger, scallions, and water until 80% done, then removed. Once cooled, they are sliced into 1 cm thick rounds and placed in a large bowl along with cooking wine and chicken broth. A suitable amount of bone-in chicken and duck meat, also briefly blanched in boiling water, is added to the bowl along with scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cooking wine, and soy sauce. The mixture is steamed until fully cooked, then removed from the steamer, and the hoof slices are taken out. In a wok, peanut oil is heated, and ginger slices and scallion segments are stir-fried until aromatic. Cooking wine is added, then the scallions and ginger are removed. Chicken broth, water, hoof tip slices, a small amount of salt, MSG, soy sauce, and cooking wine are added. The mixture is simmered until the sauce thickens. A bit of cornstarch slurry is stirred in to thicken further, then hot oil is drizzled on top before plating.

　　 Features: The camel’s foot pad, often used for walking, has thick, elastic meat. The meat of the camel hump trotter has a unique flavor, is tender, not greasy, and well-balanced between meat and umami. The combination of camel hump trotters, hoof tips, and chicken and duck meat creates a taste that rivals even bear paw, making it one of the choice nourishing dishes for autumn and winter.